Rays Rumors

The Mets are beginning to “warm up” to the idea of a reunion with Jose Reyes, according to Newsday’s David Lennon. While Lennon cautions that those familiar with the team’s thinking won’t characterize it as any sort of sure thing, the team has begun to discuss the idea more seriously over the past several days, per Lennon. While Reyes has privately voiced a willingness to play third base if it means returning to Queens, Lennon hears that the Mets have also considered sliding Neil Walker to the hot corner when discussing various scenarios, which could open second base for Reyes. The Mets won’t be able to make anything happen on the Reyes front until this weekend, as he still needs to be placed on release waivers and clear (a 48-hour process) before he’s eligible to sign else where.

Here’s more from the National League East:

• While Reyes is one infield option for the Mets, Fangraphs’ Dave Cameron opines that a trade for Danny Valencia is the perfect fit for New York. In perusing the teams that are likely to emerge as sellers this summer, Cameron notes that there’s a lack of impact bats available that can handle third base. Valencia is the exception, he writes, noting that the former platoon weapon has emerged as a legitimate threat to right-handed pitching over the past season-plus. Indeed, Valencia is hitting .304/.355/.528 across his past 155 contests, and his $3.2MM salary is eminently affordable. Cameron’s assessment is sound, and I’ll add to his argument that the remainder of Valencia’s relatively modest salary is less than the roughly $5.5MM the Mets stand to recoup from the insurance policy on Wright’s contract. Valencia is controllable through 2017 as well, and as Cameron points out, he’d serve as a safety net at third base in the event that Wright is again unable to take the field for the majority of the 2017 campaign.
• Catcher Wilson Ramos has been a force for the Nationals this year, and Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post explores what his breakout means for the organization. “It hasn’t changed a lot for me,” said GM Mike Rizzo. “Since we traded for him, we’ve always seen the upside. We knew he was as good an offensive catcher as there is in the game.” The Nats certainly do not appear to have an everyday option waiting in the wings at the position, so it’s not hard to see the rationale for bringing back the pending free agent. Rizzo suggested that an extension could make sense, even at this point of the season, though he declined to spill any details. “I don’t think it’s ever too late or too early to think about [an extension],” he said. “We’ve got a plan in place for all the guys we have. He’s a guy we see as a long-term asset for us. Those are conversations we keep internal.”
• Earlier this week FOX’s Jon Morosi reported that the Marlins have interest in Rays righty Jake Odorizzi, and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald hears the same. However, Jackson also notes that the Marlins are aware that their farm system isn’t teeming with the types of players that it would take to net a controllable arm such as Odorizzi. Prior to the season, Baseball America and ESPN’s Keith Law both rated the Marlins’ farm system 29th among all 30 teams, with only the Angels trailing them. That, paired with the team’s perennially low payroll, makes the Marlins’ search for rotation help a bit more difficult than it might be for most clubs. Jackson also adds that the Marlins figure to skip one more Jose Fernandez start later this season in an effort to conserve some of his innings for a potential postseason berth.